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Schumey
Schumey was the name given to two versions of a heavyweight robot which competed in Series 2-3 of Robot Wars. The original version reached the King of the Castle Trial in Series 2 before being eliminated; the second, Schumey Too, lost in the first round in Series 3 despite performing strongly against The Steel Avenger. The robot was named after the would-be seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher; team members John Pocock and John Turnbull were both motorsport enthusiasts. Versions of Schumey Schumey Weighing in at 79.3kg, the original Schumey was a black, two-wheel drive robot with a narrow square-shape front and a wide rear; the shape of its chassis was likened to a 'coffin lid' by Jonathan Pearce. The robot was armed with static spikes as its main weapon (a pair of detachable front wedge prongs were included, but never seen), was powered by two 12V motors, and was quoted to reach a top speed of up to 30mph. Schumey would have mainly relied on its speed and spikes to ram opponents, and benefited from having a zero-degree turning circle. However, it had a large 50mm ground clearance. Schumey Too Schumey was rebuilt into Schumey Too for Series 3, featuring a boxier chassis with aluminium and titanium top and side armour. The robot's top speed was reduced to 25mph, although its two 24V motors were twice as powerful as the motors it used previously. In contrast to Schumey's lack of active weapons, Schumey Too featured a set of front lifting forks and a centre spike, both pneumatically-driven. Each of its wheels were also independently driven. In addition to its revised armour, motors and weapons, Schumey Too also sported a mock rear wing, pyramid-style top sections and a red and black paint scheme with two large eyes. Most of these details gave the robot a passing resemblance to a racing car, and referenced the Ferrari Formula One cars driven by Michael Schumacher around the time of Series 3's broadcast. Onscreen, Schumey Too was stated to have cost £300 to build. Robot History Series 2 Schumey first competed in Heat E of the Second Wars, and was the second robot in that Heat to attempt The Gauntlet. It immediately raced out of the starting zone and over the spikes on the centre route, before driving up – and off the side of – the see-saw ramp. Stranded between a pyramid and the side of the see-saw, Schumey spun its wheels aimlessly as Shunt and Sir Killalot closed in, with Sir Killalot poking and trying to drag it off with his lance. Eventually, Sir Killalot picked Schumey up by its left-hand wheel, before turning it over onto the ramp. 'Cease' was called, and Schumey travelled a distance of 7.3 metres, enough for it to qualify for the Trial stage. In King of the Castle, Schumey hesitated in the opening seconds of its run as it sat in the middle of the ring. However, as Matilda closed in, it suddenly shot forwards towards Shunt, bumping into his plough, and allowing him and Matilda to steer him towards the edge of the ring. Seemingly unable to turn, Schumey accelerated twice to get away from the House Robots, driving itself straight off the platform in the process. With this, its run lasted only 9.4 seconds, putting Schumey at the bottom of the King of the Castle leaderboard and eliminating it from the Second Wars. Series 3 Following its rebuild, Schumey Too returned for the Third Wars, competing in Heat O. In its first – and only – televised battle, it fought series newcomer The Steel Avenger in the first round. Schumey Too immediately drove around and alongside The Steel Avenger as the two robots met in the centre, before attempting to get its forks underneath the latter. The Steel Avenger backed away before Schumey Too could attack, with Schumey Too spinning around before pushing The Steel Avenger from the side and almost into the pit. At the same time, it lifted and turned The Steel Avenger around, before again spinning away and driving close to the Flame Pit. In doing so, Schumey Too dodged a high-speed charge from The Steel Avenger, before getting underneath and pushing it back, almost turning The Steel Avenger onto its side in the process. Schumey Too spun away from a lurking Dead Metal before bumping The Steel Avenger head-on, but was unable to get underneath it again as the latter lured it across the arena. Eventually, it rammed into The Steel Avenger three more times, momentarily getting underneath and lifting it again with the first charge. However, the third resulted in one of its top armour panels being forcibly hacked off by The Steel Avenger's axe, although Schumey Too survived and responded with another bump. After lifting The Steel Avenger again, Schumey Too drove itself over an arena spike, which bounced it off the floor several times. As it attempted to drive away alongside the open pit, The Steel Avenger axed and rammed Schumey Too over the edge; seconds later, Schumey Too tumbled in wheels-first, and was eliminated from the Third Wars. Nevertheless, Philippa Forrester considered the battle to be fast and exciting while speaking to the Schumey Too team afterwards. Results |} |} Wins/Losses *Wins: 0 *Losses: 1 NOTE: Schumey's Gauntlet and Trial runs are not included Series Record Schumey.jpg|Schumey, slightly modified after its Series 2 heat. Schumey2Team.jpg|The Schumey Too team with their robot. Outside Robot Wars In May 2014, fifteen years following its Robot Wars appearance, Schumey Too was acquired by John Findlay of Team Roaming Robots and restored to running condition with a few changes. The robot's original front armour, rear wing and lifting forks/spikes were removed; the latter replaced with a large red, yellow and black lifting scoop. Schumey Too also received a revised red and yellow colour scheme, as well as an extra section of top armour immediately behind the scoop. In August of the same year, Findlay sold Schumey Too to the late Krissy Knee. Robot Wars Live Events Schumey_2014.jpg|Schumey Too without its top armour in 2014. Schuney.jpg|Schumey Too in 2014 with the top armour fitted. DSC00393.JPG|The internals of Schumey Too. After being retired following its Series 3 appearance, Schumey Too was acquired by John Findlay, and fought in a few Robot Wars live events between 2014 and 2015. It first fought in the 2014 event at Bluewater, and as of the Gloucester 2014 event was reserved as a 'Retro' robot alongside fellow former TV series competitors X-Terminator, Stinger, The Steel Avenger, Mr Nasty and Bulldog Breed. Towards the end of 2015, Schumey Too was retired from robot combat after suffering too much damage. Trivia *Schumey Too was intended to appear in two side events in Series 3, both of which never took place. It was due to fight Spikasaurus - which had not been selected for the series - in a Grudge Match, and partner the latter in a Tag Team tournament. However, both events were cancelled as a result of a behind-the-scenes accident.http://web.archive.org/web/20030405055233/http://www.daedal.co.uk:80/robotwars/history.htm *Although mentioned on Schumey Too's statistics board in Series 3, team member Glynn Jones was absent throughout the entirety of the robot's appearance in that series. References Category:UK Series competitors Category:Robots with Lifters Category:Robots from Lancashire Category:Robots from Greater Manchester Category:Robots with multiple appearances without winning a battle Category:Robots with Ramming Blades Category:Robots named after real people Category:Competitors in Robot Wars Live Events Category:Robots that only progressed in the Gauntlet or Trials Category:Robots whose events were cancelled Category:Robots with alternate versions Category:Robots which debuted in Series 2 Category:Robots with cameo appearances in Series 4